The political fallout from the Laquan McDonald case continued Tuesday when voters overwhelmingly denied Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez a third term.

Kim Foxx, a former chief of staff to the Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, won the Democratic primary by a landslide over Alvarez, 58 to 29 percent, with 82 percent of precincts reporting. She will face Republican Christopher Pfannkuche in the November general election.

In conceding, Alvarez touted her own prosecutor credentials but suggested that her failure to win reelection was due to angry voters seeking change.

Justice
Chicago police officials have recommended firing seven officers for lying about the shooting death of Laquan McDonald, a black teenager whose 2014 killing helped spark intense protests and a federal investigation of the department.

The decision comes after the city’s inspector general delivered a report this week on the shooting that called for the officers to be fired.

After receiving this report, police officials and outside attorneys reviewed it and agreed to recommend firing seven officers, Anthony Guglielmi, a police spokesman, said Thursday morning. The issue now goes to the Chicago Police Board, which will make a decision in the case.

“The officers have been relieved of their police powers prior to the determination of the Police Board,” Guglielmi wrote in an email.

The officers were accused of Rule 14 violations, meaning delivering a false report.

While I would not want to think that Bernie Sanders was siphoning campaign funds, I am glad that he is out and HRC is all in. What I want from the Senator from Vermont is for him to start keeping a long list of rallies on behalf of HRC and all democrats across the country. I want him to deliver his young and aggressive revolutionaries on November 8. Pure and simple.

I just feel there is so much about him not known. Even tho he has been in Congress for so many years. I do feel like now he is saying the right things. I hope he does more rallies for those running for Congress and not just the ones running against another Democrat.

Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates announced the decision on Thursday in a memo that instructs officials to either decline to renew the contracts for private prison operators when they expire or “substantially reduce” the contracts’ scope. The goal, Yates wrote, is “reducing — and ultimately ending — our use of privately operated prisons.”

“They simply do not provide the same level of correctional services, programs, and resources; they do not save substantially on costs; and as noted in a recent report by the Department’s Office of Inspector General, they do not maintain the same level of safety and security,” Yates wrote.

And it’s puzzling why he would lie in the first place. I don’t get that at all. He and the other 3 swimmers need to be punished severely for this misconduct. Good on the Brazilian police for figuring out that they were lying.

The part about being a “leader” is supposed to mean not only speaking to the followers, but also a leader needs to act in a way as to be a role model for their constituents. It seems to me, that politicians are now all about following their supporters instead of showing them. That results in the lowest common denominator instead of raising the game through example and inspirational behavior. This epitomizes the Republican Party with now leader Donald Trump as compared with the Democratic Party with President Obama and current candidate Hillary Clinton.

Today I got my assignment dates and times to volunteer for Hillary’s campaign starting right after Labor Day. This reminded me that it’s time for me to give my little soapbox speech that I make at every election season. 😉

I can’t express enough how every effort on your part to make this campaign a major success is so vitally important. McCain and Romney would have made awful Presidents in my opinion but I feel I would have survived their chaos. Trump on the other hand is a dangerous fool. “To the foolish, every utterance of nonsense seems like wisdom.” No matter how outrageous he is or what the polls say today please understand that half of this country is going to get up on Election Day and vote for the Republican regardless of his insanity.

So let’s look at some of the ways that you can make a difference in this campaign:

One of the first things I suggest you do is to become familiar with your local campaign office. Not everyone is going to step outside of their comfort zone and go full bore in on volunteering but if you take that leap you will meet some phenomenal people and have pride in knowing that your efforts helped push Hillary over the finish line as the winner this November.

I know that not everyone is cutout for phone banking or some don’t like crowds or you’re nervous about knocking on stranger’s doors. Well, there are many other things that make a campaign office run efficiently. On Saturdays when the office is its busiest sometimes those volunteers are there from sun up to sundown. Drop some bottled water and a salad or pizza off so they have nourishment while working the phones. Offer to do administrative work (recording time for paid staff or making copies etc) for the office once or twice a week. Learn to be a data volunteer. You will learn to input the information that the phone bankers gather from their calls.

So let’s say you don’t or can’t go into the office. Another way to help is you can raise money for the campaign. Post Hillary’s donation page on Facebook, twitter and other websites weekly. Let them know that this is your way of helping the campaign. Always ask for small donations so no one feels that their funds aren’t worthy. Every single dollar helps her to win this campaign.

And if none of this works for you then call all of your family and friends that vote Democratic and remind them to register and vote or volunteer to drive them to the polls on Election Day.

Just remember that every effort on your part will make a YUGE impact so start thinking about what role you want to play in this campaign this fall and then go for it.

Thanks for the reminders, Donna. For us ‘blue state’ people, it often feels like either there’s not much needed or nothing happening with the campaign. But there’s always some way to help, and making a difference in this election will make a big difference in America!

Susanne and everyone, even if you are in a blue state your help is still urgently needed.
For instance, in California we are phone banking to other states and for down ticket races, even though California will go blue for HRC.

Go to hillaryclinton.com and scroll down to “Find events”. Enter your zip code and up will come events close to you.
Yes there are phone banks, but there are also trainings of other kinds. For instance I cannot do phone calling, so I am doing the critically important data entry info gathered by the callers. And as donnadem stated, all these workers need food and drinks to sustain them.

Another thing you can do is throw a party at your home for friends to come watch one or more of the debates. The website has info on those as well. And I am doing tabling once a week at our local farmers market. Mostly we hand out buttons, bumper stickers and signs, and accept all the thanks from people who are so grateful to see us there. And we talk with a few people answering their questions or encouraging them to volunteer, directing them to the website, etc. A relatively painless job.

So send an email on the website offering to help and someone should contact you to find a spot for you.

Thank you, Donna, for a great summary of involvement. My main motivation for getting involved with the Hillary campaign is my fervent desire to protect the legacy of President Obama. A sane Supreme Court would be the second big reason.

Just catching up. 57andfemale, sorry to hear about your baby Pearl. I love Yorkies too. My Megan was 17 when I had to send her off to heaven. She was the center of my life for that many years. I am sending lots of love and healing to your Pearl. (((hugs))) to you.

Thanks for posting JER. I watched the briefing and it was very thorough and informative. I thought Governor John Bel Edwards provided an excellent response to the reporters who wanted to know if President Obama should make a visit to Louisiana. He was very complimentary about the federal government response. POTUS declared state of emergency very quickly, he dispatched FEMA Director Craig Fugate and local FEMA personnel along with Secretary Jeh Johnson and others to provide assistance. POTUS is being briefed regularly and kept up-to-date. Also, Valarie Jarrett has been in close contact with the governor almost everyday from the beginning. The response starts at approximately the 25:00 mark.

As aside, heard Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti on the radio today (local all news radio station has a monthly “ask the mayor” segment) and was very impressed by Los Angeles’ preparedness for major earthquake. Garcetti said the city has signed contracts with stadiums, big box stores, emergency equipment and supply companies who are prepared to feed and house those displaced in a major (earthquake) emergency.

IMHO, Garcetti is the best mayor of Los Angeles in my memory. He’s actually making progress on this city’s homeless problem and we’ll (finally) get light rail to LAX. Another aside — always loved Monsanto’s “People Mover” at Disneyland when I was a kid — it’s been gone for decades, but don’t understand why it didn’t take off, especially for areas like LAX where there’s a single destination for travelers.

I applaud him for making this trip, as I’m sure it’s very important. But I personally like it better when our POTUS is happily playing golf. And yes, I also prefer for my children to remain tucked up under my wings, right through their 4th and 5th decades of life 🙂

before the Olympics started in Rio, I wrote here that the shortcomings of host nation (Brazil) are probably exaggerated;

i suggested that these reports would be like other over-critical reports made by “tourist-reporters” who denigrate venues in developing nations (e.g. South Africa when it held the soccer World Cup);

to me, the fact that these few US swimmers may have lied stems from them internalizing the “hair-on-fire” reports that made Rio sound like the wild west that many media propagated;

internally, when you go to a place convinced that it is crime-ridden, your first instinct is to look out for signs that this is indeed the case. then if you don’t find that fact, you may be tempted to make a story up.

I am waiting to see if the robbery-at-gun-point events really happened but will not be surprised that they were a figment of these few swimmers’ imagination

You are so right because I don’t recall any negative stories about South Africa hosting World Cup. I do recall, however, that there were many negative (and hilarious) stories about Russia hosting the Winter Olympics a few years back. Some people are quick to stereotype so-called Third World countries and to assume the worst.

oh, there were plenty of stories about South Africa PRIOR to the beginning of the World Cup;

many media outlets tried to convince us how unprepared a country in sub-Saharan Africa would not be ready and the pointed to the chaos that is bound to occur when any nation is preparing to host such a huge global event.

but in this case, many media people reported with the question was it a mistake to award the games to South Africa …. as if this last minute preparation was unique to S.A;

then the soccer begun and world started talking about the celebrations … with the vuvuzela (remember?)

Besides apologizing to Brazil, the Olympics organization, the US and world swim teams, and the other USA athletes. They should also apologize to the US public and government as they were representing us to the world. They caused an International scandal by lying (if it turns out that they lied). If Trump was the President more of this would happen as it would be common place and expected.

Chris Mathews is incredible in spreading the ransom malarkey. They said they were waiting to give them the money back they owed till the prisoners were released. That made sense for their goal, but is different than paying money they did not owe them. They were just using the opportunity in a pragmatic way. I applaud their strategic thinking. What would they have said if they paid the money first then the prisoners were not released?

Who is criticizing the President for not cutting his vacation short to inspect the Louisiana flood. I see were Mark Knoller made this comment. Have any of the House and Senate cut their vacation short? You dam if you do, dam if you don’t. I keep seeing were some people are talking about First Lady Michelle Obama running for some political office. I hope she does not, I love this First Lady and I would support her in whatever she does This family have been through enough these eight years.

So in a speech tonight Trump suppose to apologize for some of the things he have said, I want Kellyanne to tell me when is he going to apologize to President Obama for saying that the President was not born in this country?

He made some blanket apology based on things he might have said referring to being put on the spot at the time. No specific references and seeming to cover future problems. I hope people realize what he has said in all his past years including this campaign represents the real person. I hope they realize he will revert back to his own self if elected. Pray and work hard, never rest in defeating Trump is my theme song.